Equality

Our nation’s laws are designed to protect against discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and many laws regarding federal government employment provide remedies to protect vulnerable groups. These laws should be enforced and expanded to ensure that everyone is treated fairly.

I support a federal Equality Act that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes to ensure that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited. Gay and transgender people – and their families – should have the same rights and protections as others in the workplace, in housing, in healthcare decisions, and in our communities. This will not be an easy fight. State legislatures (including Texas) continue to debate legislation designed to deny equal rights to gay and transgender people even after the Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. These discriminatory state laws—like the proposed bathroom bill in Texas—hurt all of us, and the best way to address them is to enact federal legislation that brings our laws in line with our values.

As a member of Congress, I will fight to end discrimination and to retain the rights that so many, including the LGBT community, have fought so hard to achieve.